Granddad Weasley Would Never Forgive You!
by Hanneli
Summary: For those who think Jo was hinting at a future relationship between Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy. The prologue is set at their first meeting, when shy little Scorpius begins to develop a crush on the talkative girl he meets on the Hogwarts Express.
1. Prologue

**Hi! I was chatting with some friends and we all agree that JK Rowling was foreshadowing a relationship between Rose and Scorpius (God… that name…) in the epilogue of Deathly Hallows. Now, if that idea repells you, I'm thinking my story won't be one of your favourites.**

**I haven't completely planned out this story yet, but since there isn't much you can really do relationship-wise with eleven-year-olds, expect this story to take about a six year leap sometime soon. In fact, it will most likely happen right after the Prologue.**

**Now, Rose I imagine being both very similar and very different to her mother. Scorpius, on the other hand, only takes after Draco physically. ****If there's anything I really think you should know, I'll place it in an Author's Note****, okay?**

**And, the disclaimer: I solemnly swear I own nothing to do with Harry Potter.**

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"James! Slow down, James, I have this stupid trunk," called Rose, attempting to maneuver her possessions and catch up with her elusive cousin at the same time. James shrugged apologetically and disappeared into a compartment near the front of the train, likely joining his second-year friends. Sighing heavily, Rose gave up and turned to look for Albus, who had been beside her the last time she checked.

"Al?" she said. "Seriously, Al, if you ditch me too I _will_ write to Aunt Ginny."

"I'm right here, Rosie!" he replied. "Just checking out some of the features."

"Such as the bathroom?" she said.

"Maybe," he replied defensively.

Shaking her head, Rose grabbed his arm and led him down the corridor. "You'll be sorry you had so much pumpkin juice if all the compartments are full," she informed him. She peered through the window of the nearest one and motioned toward it.

"How about this one?" she asked.

Albus looked in, but jumped back as if he had bitten. "No way! Dora Finnigan's in there!" he hissed.

"So what? She's nice!" said Rose.

"Rosie," said Albus in long-suffering tones. "Don't you remember my birthday party? She tried to _kiss_ me."

"Al, that was your _sixth_ birthday party," his cousin reminded him. "Have you honestly not moved past that?"

"Please?" he begged.

"Al," said Rosie exasperatedly, "We don't exactly have much choice."

"I know," he said, "But, come on - I'll look down this way and you can go that way. I'll tell you if I see anything."

A few compartments down, Rose said, "Space here, Al."

Albus drew near and asked, "Is there anyone in there?"

"Just Scorpius Malfoy." she said. "And I'd suggest you come in, because it's either here or on Victoire's lap."

Albus saw the sense in his cousin's words. "She's so gooey over Teddy these days," he grumbled.

"I think it's sweet," opined Rose.

"You would. You're a _girl_."

"Do you have to say that like it's a disease?" she said, opening the door to the compartment.

The blond boy, Scorpius, looked up.

"Oh, hi!" said Rose brightly. "You don't mind if we join you, do you? The train's rather full. All my cousins took off, too. Well, they'll regret it soon enough. I can't wait to learn more magic so I can get them all back properly. Do you know any magic yet? Come on in, Al."

"You know magic already?" asked Scorpius, sounding slightly awed.

"Yes. Well, no. Not really," she said, taking a seat beside the window. Albus slid beside her.

"I can illuminate my wand," she explained. "Mum taught me. She said technically I'm not supposed to do magic yet, so I'm supposed to keep it quiet."

"Nice job, Rosie," said Albus.

"Well, sorry!" she exclaimed. "It's just so exciting! I've been waiting ages to come to Hogwarts. Since Victoire came, at least. What about you, Scorpius?"

Scorpius was confused. He was positive he had never met the girl, Rosie, before. "How do you-"

"Right. Sorry. I heard my dad talking," she said. "I'm Rose Weasley, and this is my cousin, Albus Potter."

Albus winced and said, "Al. It's Al."

"Scorpius Malfoy," the boy said. He offered a shy smile to the cousins.

"Can't have many nicknames," remarked Rosie. "Still, interesting name. Scorpius is one of my favourite constellations. I can't wait 'til I'm old enough to take Astrology. Or is it Astronomy? I can't remember. Either way, don't you think it sounds amazing? There are so many classes I wish I could take. Hey, do you think they'll teach us how to fly soon?" She looked at Scorpius, hoping he knew.

"I, I don't know," he stammered, once he realised Rose was expecting an answer.

"Hmm. Well," she said, "I was just wondering. I'm not too anxious to break all my bones playing Quidditch."

Albus shuddered. "Me neither. But the way James goes on about it!"

"I know," agreed Rose. "I bet Hugo'll be the same way, don't you?"

"Don't worry, Rosie," said Albus. "They can be the brawny ones and we'll be the brains."

"If you say so, Al," smiled Rose, feeling too kind to inquire about his sudden academic ambitions. "What about you, Scorpius; do you have any siblings?"

Scorpius shook his head. "There's just me."

"Boy! You must be lonely," said Rose. "I wouldn't know what to do without all my relatives."

Scorpius merely shrugged.

"You don't talk much, do you?" asked Rose. She ignored Albus kicking her pointedly.

At her words, Scorpius' pale cheeks lightly flushed. Rose instantly regretted making him uncomfortable.

"No, it's not a big deal!" she said quickly, to try and make amends. "Teddy's kind of quiet too, and Victoire seems to like it. She's really, really pretty. Maybe someday a really pretty girl will like you, too!"

"Stop making it worse, Rosie!" hissed Albus, earning himself a glare.

"You know it's only a matter of time before I learn how to hex people, Al," she warned him, eyes narrowed.

"Hah!" he said. "We'll see!"

Scorpius, watching the exchange, was looking nothing short of alarmed. In an attempt to put him more at ease, Rose became pleasant once more and asked, "Which house do you want to be in, Scorpius?"

"Uh," said Scorpius, who had not previously put much thought into the subject, "Gryffindor, I think. Maybe Ravenclaw."

Rose nodded approvingly. "Same here. Al says he only wants Gryffindor, but I'm torn between that and Ravenclaw. Just think, in a few more hours we'll be Sorted! I was wondering whether or not the…"

The afternoon seemed to pass quickly, at least for Rose, who took supreme pleasure in chattering away to Scorpius. To his credit, he politely submitted to her relentless interrogation, which spanned every subject from how nervous he was about exams to whether or not he had any pets. Albus having dozed off hours ago, Scorpius was very much on his own.

"…so Mum said I can get a pet next year if I want, and obviously, my first choice was an owl, but now I'm starting to think maybe I'd like a little kitten instead. Aren't kittens just adorable?"

"They are cute," agreed Scorpius.

"I know!" said Rose. "But James has an owl already and he said they're really useful. I don't know if I'll be able to pick. Owl or kitten… oh, it's so hard to decide! On one hand, an owl could deliver my letters to Mum and Dad. But then it would be away a lot. A kitten would be able to keep me company. Somehow I don't get the feeling that James and Victoire will be that keen to hang out with Al and I, so company would be important."

"Rose?" said Scorpius timidly, not wanting to interrupt.

"Mmhm?"

"It's… getting kind of dark outside," he pointed out. "Maybe we should change?"

Rose, who had completely missed the gradual darkening of the skies, saw that he was correct. "Oh! You're right. Time really flies when you're having fun," she beamed. She prodded Albus none too gently before ducking under her seat to retrieve two sets of dark robes.

"Wha-a?" said Albus sleepily. He removed the robes his cousin had tossed into his face and yawned.

"We have to change, Al," said Rose as she buttoned up her own robes over the uniform she had already been wearing. "It's getting dark; we must be nearly there. D'you think I'd better go warn James, too? He always falls asleep on long trips."

"If you want, Rosie," said Albus mildly. Rose took this as confirmation that her services were desperately required. She bounded out of the compartment, assuring the two boys that she would be right back, singling out Scorpius to let him know that they could continue their fascinating discussion later.

The moment his cousin was out of sight, Albus turned to Scorpius and demanded, "Has she been talking _all this time_?"

Scorpius nodded solemnly.

Overcome with sympathy, Albus merely shook his head and said, "I am so sorry."

"No, it was fine," said Scorpius. He smiled hesitantly. "I like listening to her. She's nice."

Albus opened his mouth to do his duty as a cousin and protest, but was promptly distracted: the Hogwarts Express had screeched to an abrupt stop.

Rose's voice came from around the corner. "James, that liar, I kept telling Dad that he had a girlfriend but he just laughed. And what do you think I find when I walk into his compartment? Darling James surrounded by half-a-dozen girls!" She re-entered the compartment, looking both slightly indignant and sorely tempted to laugh. "So, Scorpius," she said, turning her attention to him with a smile, "Want to share a boat?"

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**Okay, feel free to tell me what you think! I promise to try to not let it hurt my feelings. Unless you insult my spelling or grammar. In that case, I really can't make any promises. :)**


	2. Prologue, part 2

**Item #1:**** I'm sorry it took so long! I really am! I wrote nearly half of this chapter the day after posting the first one, but it's taken until now to finish it because my mother has barely been letting me get on the computer. She's pretty insane lately because she's getting remarried in about two weeks, is a speaker at a conference in the States, and still has to outline a course she's teaching for the first time next year. Again, I ****apologise.**

**Item #2: Strangely, half of you seemed to know that I was going to continue the Prologue before I ****did. Don't ask me how.**

**Item #3: Since ****Albus**** is the spitting image of Harry and ****Scorpius**** is Draco in miniature, what does Rose look like? I was asked this several times. Well, I was on ****IMDb**** last week and somebody suggested that ****Miffy ****Englefield**** (apparently she was in _The Holiday_****, if you've seen that) play Rose if the epilogue of DH is in the movie. I nearly keeled over backwards when I saw her picture – she looks like the love child of Emma Watson and Rupert ****Grint****. And, she's British and will be eleven in 2010. Could she be more perfect? This site won't let me show you a picture, but if you look her up on IMDb or Google you'll see what I mean.**

**Item #4: Obviously, thank you for all those wonderful reviews! I would have replied to all of them if I'd had time. Grr...**

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"Mackey, Delilah," called the tall woman who had introduced herself to the first-years as Professor Ellison. She smiled encouragingly. 

A little girl with raven-black hair made her way to the front of the Great Hall and pulled herself up onto the stool. The Sorting Hat whispered in her ears for a few moments, eventually revealing something that made the small girl smile with gratification.

"Ravenclaw!" the Hat announced. The girl called Delilah ran to sit beside an older girl at the Ravenclaw table. Due to their striking resemblance, Rose deduced that they must be sisters. Yet another black-haired girl waved at Delilah from the nearby Gryffindor table.

_Gryf__findor, where dwell the brave at__ heart… _She couldn't help wondering – would the Sorting Hat would see Gryffindor's courageous potential in Scorpius Malfoy?

"Maefest, William."

"Hufflepuff!" cried the Sorting Hat, showing little to no hesitation.

"Malfoy, Scorpius," was beckoned next.

Scorpius took the seat just vacated by William. He lifted the ancient hat onto his head – it slipped down so that his blue-grey eyes were obscured by its sagging brim.

The Sorting Hat did not seem to find pegging the boy an easy task. Evidently anxious to fully consider the matter, it was a good minute before it saw fit to declare, "Gryffindor!" to the interested onlookers. Several of the older teachers - those who remembered the last time a Malfoy attended Hogwarts - betrayed their surprise for a moment before joining in with the applause. As for Scorpius, he gave his first real smile, appearing to be more than pleased with his outcome.

Albus' turn was next, after another boy – Perkins – was sorted into Slytherin. He looked at Rose nervously, obviously fearing that his fate was to be the same. Taking pity on her cousin, Rose squeezed his hand reassuringly. As his palm left hers, she whispered, "S'okay, Albie."

"Potter, Albus."

As he walked toward the front of the hall, Albus attempted to shut out the whispers inevitably accompanying his name, determining to focus instead on shooting Rose a dirty look which he hoped would serve to discourage any future use of the childish nickname.

His ordeal, fortunately, was not long-lived.

"Gryffindor!"

Albus looked utterly relieved. He had tried to keep his father's wise words in mind, but this, this was where he knew he belonged. He chose a seat close to Scorpius and happily surveyed his surroundings, admiring the majestic red-and-gold Gryffindor banners hanging far above his head. He intended to keep still and pay attention to the remainder of the ceremony; at least until Rose was Sorted, but he found that his delight and wonder were making it difficult to concentrate. His father would be so proud when he found out. Albus resolved to borrow James' tawny owl, Trixie, the coming morning to personally inform his family.

His mind already on the epic banquet he knew awaited, Albus' thoughts drifted off during the placement of the students whose surnames commenced with the letters R, S and T, of which there were quite a few. Fewer and fewer first-years stood together unsorted, the group eventually dwindling to Rose and one other girl. Albus might have missed Rose's turn altogether but for a few quiet chuckles that alerted him to her presence at the front of the hall.

It was not hard to determine the source of the humour. Rose, sitting both with hands in her lap and with ankles entwined, was decisively shaking her shoulder-length reddish-brown curls, as if absorbed in a silent argument with the old Hat. Even Albus couldn't help smiling at the sight. Whatever it was that Rose was thinking, she seemed to be quite adamant about it.

The debate between the two having drawn to a close, the Sorting Hat announced in its customary ambiguous tone, "Gryffindor!" The satisfied smile on Rose's face convinced Albus that, as usual, she had gotten her way.

Before Rose had even made it to the table where Albus and Scorpius sat, the last girl, Marion Yewell, was proclaimed to be a Hufflepuff. Allowing the girls a moment to settle themselves, the headmaster rose and said a few words of welcome to the assembly, perceptive enough to realise that focusing on a speech was not even in the realm of possibilities while his students were unfed.

Absorbed in selecting a leg of chicken from the veritable feast that had been conjured up before them, Rose didn't register the questioning looks that Albus and Scorpius, both sitting across from her, were giving her. When it dawned upon her that she was being stared at, she swallowed her mouthful of food and asked, "What?"

"Uh, Rosie? What was _that _all about?" asked Albus.

Rose shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, the Hat just wanted to put me in Ravenclaw."

"And you said no?" Scorpius asked, amazed.

"More than once," Rose laughed. "It's funny, though. I had just about decided that I did want to be in Ravenclaw, but then you both were Sorted and I knew I had to be in Gryffindor. I think the Sorting Hat really wanted me to be in Ravenclaw, though; it kept telling me how well I'd do there."

"You _would_ have done well there," said Albus generously. "Why'd you want to be with us, anyway? You could have been with Victoire."

"This is Victoire's last year," Rose pointed out patiently. "She'll graduate from Hogwarts this June and then where will I be? I'd rather be with you and Scorpius than by myself, and anyway..." she added confidentially, "this way, it'll be so much more fun when I owl Dad." She grinned and stuck a potato in her mouth.

Once the feast and speeches were finished, the Gryffindor prefects shepherded their wards out of the Great Hall toward the tower where their common room and dormitories awaited. The process was taking a while, not because the first-years weren't anxious to cuddle into their warm beds, but because they were so enthralled by the old castle that they insisted on stopping every few metres to ooh and ah over such novelties as the rusty suits of armor and several of the more impressive portraits. The prefects, not being the most assertive people around, restricted themselves to sighing heavily and shooting envious glances toward their Ravenclaw counterparts, who had evidently nearly reached their destination. Out of the corner of her eye, Rose saw something black disappear around a nearby corner - a student? Her own group was still intact; could it have been a Ravenclaw, then, that for some reason had decided to take off? Curiosity aroused, Rose stole a glance at her prefects. Like everyone else, they were facing a painted depiction of some long-ago battle, with a few of the little boys loudly debating which knight would be victorious in a duel. Seizing the opportunity, Rose turned on her heel and fled down the staircase.

For a moment she wondered if she had been mistaken, and the black form had been nothing more than a passing shadow. Though she considered turning back to rejoin her house before she was missed, her instinct urged her on. Sure enough, a little ways down the corridor she came across a first-year boy huddled down in a cold, stony corner, looking absolutely miserable.

"You're not hurt, are you?" was the first question to spring to mind.

The boy shook his head and sullenly looked away, hardly anxious to share his tears with the stranger.

"You're not lost, are you?" Rose pressed on.

Again, the response was negative.

"If you're not hurt and you're not lost, then why do you look so sad?" she wondered.

When the only reply the boy managed was a squeak, Rose decided to take a different approach.

"I don't remember your name, except I think maybe it started with a J, but you're in Ravenclaw, aren't you?" she inquired.

At the mention of the house's name, the boy surrendered to a flood of fresh tears. Taking this as confirmation, Rose squatted down next to the boy and attempted to comfort him.

"Shhhh," she soothed quietly – when nothing happened except an increase of the volume of his crying, she added, "Seriously, shhhh! If they hear us we'll probably get in trouble."

"I don't_ care_," the boy choked out.

"Well, I do," said Rose firmly. "I promised Mum I wouldn't get into any trouble for at least the first two weeks. Now will you tell me what's wrong?"

The boy mumbled something incoherent. Rose frowned. "What was that about cinnamon?"

"Slytherin!" he hissed. "I was supposed to be in _Slytherin_, but I'm not, and my family's going to be so mad because I'm in stupid Ravenclaw!"

There was a short silence. Rose asked, "What's your name?"

"Jason," the boy replied.

"Jason, have you ever heard of an oxymoron?" she asked. Given his glare, she continued, "Alright; never mind! Look, who cares which house you were supposed to be in? You should be proud to be in Ravenclaw! That means you're clever, and quick to learn, and I wouldn't be surprised if you were naturally gifted at magic. It could be worse."

Tears ebbing away now, Jason appeared to be considering her words. "Yeah, but-"

"Don't bother coming up with 'buts'," Rose advised. "If your family doesn't understand… just get a hundred percent on all the exams. That'll change their tune, believe me."

Managing a watery smile, Jason nodded and finally rose to his feet. With a slight sniffle, he said, "I'd better go."

"Do you know the way?" she asked. When he pointed up at the Ravenclaw tower, Rose smiled and said, "Goodbye, then! I'll see you around sometime."

Once she had ascended the same staircase she had climbed before, Rose knew something was wrong. There was no portrait of old, drunken knights in sight; instead, a rather blank wall greeted her. Rose was puzzled. She was positive she had retraced her steps correctly. On a closer inspection, she realised that she wasn't even on the same floor as she had been before. She spun around, but there was no one in sight. Determined not to panic, she tried to look at the situation logically. She had come up the right flight of stairs; she was certain of this much. If her location was off, that meant the staircases must have… moved. She groaned inwardly.

"Rose!" called a voice from above her. She looked up to see Scorpius' head peeping over a high banister. "Over here!"

"Scorpius!" she exclaimed, voice full of relief. She ran to the left and scurried up the staircase until she had reached him. "What are you doing down here?"

"I saw you take off and I figured you'd need someone to show you the way up once you came back. C'mon, it's just up here," he said.

Looking surprised, but thankful, Rose followed him as he led her down a corridor which culminated with a portrait of an enormous woman Rose knew well through her family's stories.

"Password?" asked the Fat Lady distantly.

"Kneazle," answered Scorpius automatically. The Fat Lady swung open, but not without muttering something about lovebirds always trying to sneak in whenever she had a moment of peace. Scorpius flushed pink, but Rose merely rolled her eyes and climbed in.

"She's going to be fun, isn't she?" she said sarcastically. Scorpius refrained from answering.

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**Dun ****dun ****dun****. Finally done!**


	3. Time Flies

_**PLEASE READ: As you may have guessed, this is the skipping-forward chapter. Albus, Scorpius and Rose are now beginning their seventh and final year at Hogwarts.**_

**(Okay, the rest of this is optional, haha.) Thank you so much for your patience with this story. As the wedding approaches, I've had more and more issues getting a solitary moment on this laptop. I finally escaped to my grandparents' house, where I typed all but the first couple of paragraphs in the last few hours.**

**Thanks again for the reviews! I hope the novelty isn't wearing off... Anyway, I wanted to say that I really hate asking favours of people, and that's what it feels like I'm doing whenever I ask you to review. So please know that even if I don't always ask for them, I really, really, appreciate the time and effort that you guys spend by reviewing this story. Okay, moving on...**

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It was a windy day at King's Cross, the gale utterly unconcerned by grumbling travelers attempting to shield their hats and hair from impending doom. Scorpius, as he passed through the entrance to the platform housing the Hogwarts Express, reminded himself that the person he was looking for would surely stand out in the horde of harried-looking passengers. His only hope of recognising her in this mob was her hair, which, as it was an indiscernible shade between red and brown, would immediately distinguish her from the crowd. He looked down at the bulky cage he was holding in his right hand and smiled to himself. Setting it down beside a large support beam, he scanned the throng before him, but before he spotted her- 

"Scorpius!" a voice screeched from behind him. He turned around, a wide smile on his face, and caught an ecstatic Rose, who had jumped into his arms, in a strong hug. She gripped his neck tightly and squeezed once more before sliding down and saying fervently, "You have no idea how much I've missed you. Tell me again why you wouldn't visit even though I _begged_?"

He simply said, "Rosie," and nodded his head pointedly in the direction of their fathers, who were standing several metres apart, looking uncomfortable and giving each other grimaces that may have been intended as smiles. Possibly.

Rose sighed quietly. Though she believed Scorpius when he said that his father had changed since his shady youth, there was still too much bad blood between their families to hope for any real reconciliation. She realised that even a stiff greeting to Draco Malfoy was a huge concession on her father's part.

"How's Al?" asked Scorpius after a moment. He hadn't seen his friend yet.

"Oh, he's great, from what I've seen of him," Rose answered. "He's on his way; he's helping Lily and Hugo with their things... which I was supposed to be doing, too. Oops," she finished guiltily.

She made a move as if to turn around, but Scorpius caught her by the shoulder and said, "Wait! Just hold on a minute, okay? I want to show you something."

"Sure, okay." Rose was slightly bewildered by the excitement in his voice.

"Alright." Scorpius began to speak quickly. "You've always talked about getting a kitten, Rosie, but you never actually did. Since James is gone this year, you won't be able to spend much time with Trixie anymore, and I thought maybe you'd be a little lonely. So..." He motioned toward the cage.

Mouth open, Rose knelt down and peeked inside. A tiny kitten met her eyes and mewed once in greeting. Rose covered her mouth with her hands and squealed with happiness. She jumped and captured her friend in a bear hug, saying, "Oh, Scorpius, no way! Thank you, _thank you_! Oh, it's so _cute_! I can't believe it!"

She knelt down again to pet her new companion through its cage and was rewarded with a contented purr. "Is it a boy or a girl?" she asked.

"A boy." Scorpius smiled, delighted with her reaction. "My neighbours' cat had five kittens a couple of months ago. This little one was the last to be adopted. I thought you'd like him."

"Like him?" Rose scoffed at the understatement. "I think I've just fallen in love. Look how sweet he is!"

"Very cute," said Albus from behind them. Rose and Scorpius both jumped, having been completely oblivious to his presence until that moment.

"Hey, Al," grinned Scorpius, while Rose agreed, "The cutest thing I've ever seen."

"Where are Lily and Hugo?" Scorpius asked.

Albus rolled his eyes and said, "Already on the Hogwarts Express, of course. They don't think much of our tradition of nearly missing the train. Hint, hint."

"It can't be that late already!" Rose exclaimed.

"You'd be surprised," said Albus dryly.

"Arrgh," Rose groaned. "Fine, I'll just say bye to Dad, then. I'll meet you two on the train, alright? Scorpius, would you take care of the kitten for a moment?"

"Of course," said Scorpius with a warm smile. "We'll see you soon."

Rose smiled in gratitude and approached her father. The two boys gathered up their things and boarded the Hogwarts Express more or less silently. As they walked into a vacant compartment, Albus said suddenly, "So, were you planning on telling me, _ever_?"

"I'm sorry?" Scorpius was completely lost. "Er... tell you what?"

Albus raised an eyebrow, looking as if his intelligence had just been insulted. When Scorpius continued to stare at him blankly, he clarified, "You like Rosie!"

Ah. Reaction.

"Of course I like Rosie, she's my b-"

"First of all," Albus cut in, "I'm your best friend. So don't go there. And second of all, I know you know perfectly well what I mean."

Cursing his pale skin for easily betraying the fact that he was blushing – hard – Scorpius began to say, "Look, Al, I don't know why you would jump to that conclusion, but-"

"Scorpius," said Albus, eyes narrowed, "I've known since fourth year, and I was probably one of the _last_ ones to notice."

"Why are you bringing this up now?" said Scorpius softly.

Dropping the accusing tone, Albus said more gently, "I'm... just tired of playing dumb. I saw your face when you hugged her. You looked like you hated to let her go- I almost thought you weren't going to." A moment of silence. "Why don't you just _tell_ her, mate?"

Unconsciously dropping the remnants of his pretence, Scorpius sighed and confessed. "She doesn't feel the same way. You know that."

"I know no such thing."

"Be serious, Al," Scorpius beseeched.

"I am!" Albus said. "Well, kind of. What d'you expect her to do, though? She has no idea how you feel. I swear, she's even more clueless than you."

Sliding into the compartment, Rose said, "What was that about clueless? Are you talking about me? That wasn't very nice! I'm completely aware." She took a seat across from them and started cooing to her new kitten.

Albus' gaze shifted from Rose to Scorpius, who was staring at her, and then back to Rose, who was completely oblivious. He sighed.

"So, Rosie, have you given that furball a name yet?" he inquired.

"Well," she said thoughtfully, "I'd like to name him after Scorpius."

Scorpius' face was a strange mixture of happiness and horror.

"But I don't want to always have to specify," Rose mused. "So I thought maybe I'd give him a Scorpius-like nickname."

"Rosie, I don't _have_ any nicknames," Scorpius reminded her, greatly relieved that the innocent little kitten wouldn't have to share his unfortunate moniker.

Rose opened the cat-carrier and placed the kitten gently on her lap, where he was more than glad to snuggle. She smiled down at him and said, "Meet your namesake, little Pi."

"...Like the food?" Albus was sceptical.

"Of course not," said Rose. "Like the mathematical device."

"Please tell me that was sarcasm."

"I'm serious. I think it's cute. It suits him," Rose said firmly.

"It's very... unique," said Scorpius diplomatically.

"I'll say," Albus agreed.

"More unique than 'Fluffily-Wuffily'?" asked Rose innocently.

Scorpius couldn't help but to laugh though Albus, looking outraged, said, "You _know _the story behind that one!"

"Of course I do," said Rose comfortingly. She winked obviously at Scorpius, provoking a "Would you _stop_ it?" from her now grouchy cousin. Rolling her eyes, she scooted over next to Scorpius.

"I think he should be familiar with his other parental figure," she explained.

Hiding his smile, Scorpius carefully petted the little cat in Rose's lap. "Sorry again about not visiting, Rosie. How was the rest of your summer?"

"Meh." Rose shrugged. "Uneventful, for the most part. I'd bet anything that Teddy and Victoire are engaged, but both of them refuse to tell me anything."

"I wonder why," Albus snorted.

"I wish you'd been there, Scorpius," said Rose, "If only to get Al off my back every once in a while. He wouldn't leave me alone for five minutes- complained of boredom, of all things, at his own house."

"I know you have trouble believing that, but it's true," Albus defended himself. "James was busy with his job and Lily spent every day at a different friend's house."

Shaking her head incredulously, Rose turned to face Scorpius and said, "And that was about it, except- well, did you notice anything different?" She smiled at him and waited expectantly.

The usual creamy skin... the usual beautiful brown eyes... the usual dainty pink lips... was he missing something?

"Your hair looks longer," he tried.

"Really? Thanks!" said Rose. "Oh, but that's not it."

"Er... new robes?" He knew he was reaching now.

"Yeah, I finally outgrew the old ones," she admitted. "Still not it, though."

"I give up," Scorpius conceded.

Rose made a tsking sound of amusement. "I have four fewer freckles. See?" she pointed out.

"Oh." Scorpius smiled. "I don't know how I missed that."

She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Ah, don't worry. No one else noticed, either."

Their hands slipped apart, but their fingers were still slightly touching between them on the seat. Scorpius glanced down to where they touched and then quickly looked up before he thought Albus noticed. With Rose again concentrating most of her attention on her kitten, Albus subtly pointed to himself and mouthed the words "playing dumb", which Scorpius pretended to ignore. At that moment, he was most conscious of the feel of his skin against Rose's, minimal though it was.

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**I feel guilty, but what the heck. Please review?**


	4. What You Can Do Today

**I apologise from the bottom of my heart for taking so long to update. I don't know how many of you read this on my bio page, but just before I finished this chapter, Microsoft Word apparently decided it hated me and staunchly refused to let me open the document. I had neglected to make a back-up. I had to start from scratch, and it was horrible trying to remember and recreate the original chapter. I think I got pretty close in the end; only small details were added or removed. I grovel at your feet for your forgiveness, and assure you that I now e-mail the story to myself every fifteen minutes or so.**

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The following morning proved slightly daunting for Albus and Scorpius. Staring down at their timetables, it hadn't fully occurred to them until now just how busy the next ten months of their lives were going to be. Even Rose, who was already anticipating her NEWTs with more enthusiasm than was necessary, did not appear particularly content with her schedule. Free time looked as if it were inches away from becoming a pleasant memory.

She took the papers Albus and Scorpius were holding on either side of her and set them down on the table in front of her for comparison. "Hmm. Today the three of us start out in Potions... then I don't see either of you till lunch... then I have Charms with Al... and we all finish in double History of Magic with the Ravenclaws. Well, it could have been better, but we've had worse Fridays."

"Speak for yourself," said Albus glumly, reclaiming his timetable. "And it only seems to get worse Monday."

Not wanting to dwell on the fact that he was probably right, Rose attempted to sound optimistic. "At least the first Hogsmeade trip's early this year. It's months before last year's."

"If we even have time to go," Albus pointed out.

"Er, Professor Perkson has retired."

"He was nice!"

"He was inept," Rose argued. "I'm trying to count my blessings here, and you're not helping."

"Maybe because there's not much to count!"

The argument between Albus and Rose continued for a good five minutes as she led him and Scorpius through stony corridors to their Potions class. Walking in with a minute or two to spare, the dispute shifted to another frequently discussed topic -- once the class partnered up, who would be the odd one out? Never Scorpius, for Albus and Rose found it difficult to cooperate when working together. Each was convinced it was the other's turn; however, Albus rummaged around in his books until he was able to triumphantly offer photographic proof that Rose had been partnered with Scorpius during the last Potions class of the year.

"Please tell me you did not take that for the sole purpose of proving me wrong." Rose was glowering at her cousin.

"No, of course not," said Albus indignantly. Then he shrugged. "Actually, I probably would have if I had thought of that. Still, no. It was part of my end-of-year celebration – I had charmed confetti and everything, remember?"

"That I do recall," allowed Rose grudgingly. She sighed. "Fine. But you'd better just remember whose turn it is next time, or else."

"I'm sure Scorpius will be more than happy to remind us," said Albus smugly. He was happy to have been right beyond the shadow of a doubt for once in his life.

Sliding reluctantly out of her chair, Rose called out to a girl who usually preferred to work alone, "Liana, d'you mind if we partner up today?"

"Albus' turn?" she said knowingly.

"Yes."

"It's fine with me, Rose."

The professor seemed to take pity upon her students that day, for she instructed them to concoct any simple potion that appeared in the first chapter of their textbooks, so as to refresh them on the basics on potion-brewing before attempting anything actually risky. Activity soon filled the room; pages were turned, cauldrons adjusted and ideas swapped, all very raucously. The professor was soon convinced that retiring to her office would be the best course to take.

Albus having chosen the Diffusion Draught on page four, Scorpius went to the student store cupboard to collect the necessary ingredients. He removed a jar of lacewing flies from the topmost shelf and set it gingerly on the nearest surface in order to peek in the back. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Rose as she approached the same cupboard, her head bowed as she studied her text intently. He turned around to face her. Mind preoccupied by something contained in that book, Rose failed to notice a greyish liquid that had been spilled somewhere in front of her. There was next to no time to act: within a second, Rose's smooth black shoe caught the edge of the potion and she tumbled backward. Acting upon instinct, Scorpius shot his hand out and grabbed her by the arm. He managed to soften her fall, but could not entirely prevent it. Despite his best efforts, Rose landed on the floor, the fear in her eyes from her unexpected, not to mention sudden, freefall fading momentarily.

"Oops," said Rose sheepishly, taking Scorpius' offered hand and standing up, book still clutched in her left hand. She brushed off her robes self-consciously.

"Are you all right, Rosie?" asked Scorpius with concern.

"Oh, yes," she assured him. She looked around at her classmates, a good third of whom were either politely, but obviously, pretending they had not witnessed her mishap, or were trying to hide slight smirks of humour. "Well, physically, anyway. I think my ego hit the floor quite a bit harder than I did."

"Don't worry about them," said Scorpius. "If OWLs proved one thing, it's that people our age have remarkably short memories."

"Luckily for me," Rose agreed, looking into the cupboard and pulling out a stone that shimmered green in the artificial light of the classroom. "And Scorpius – thanks." She returned to her seat, fortunately without further incident.

Subconsciously smiling to himself, Scorpius grabbed half a dozen gurdyroots and calmly strolled back to Albus, who did not appear particularly pleased.

"What's wrong?" he asked, confused at the look on his friend's face.

"Scorpius," Albus hissed under his breath. "You just spoiled the perfect opportunity!"

"The perfect... opportunity?" said Scorpius incredulously. "Are you kidding me?"

"No! Could the situation have been more ideal? You were her hero, her knight in shining armour! You have just-"

Scorpius wasn't nearly as amused as he had been just moments previously. He crossed his arms, and made sure to keep his voice low. "Swept her into my arms and snogged her in front of the whole class?"

"Actually, if that happens, I'd rather not be present. No offense, but I don't know if I could keep my lunch down – I mean, it's my cousin!" Albus looked visibly disturbed. He shuddered and then said, "Anyway, I was going to hint that a dramatic confession following your assistance with her plight would have been perfect."

"You've got to stop reading so many romance novels, Al," said Scorpius, shaking his head.

"I don't read any _romance novels_," Albus said with great distaste. In fact, he looked positively insulted. "I just happen to be-"

"Insane," Scorpius cut in.

"And you interrupt," said Albus impatiently. "We all have our flaws."

"Al. I know you have good intentions, but if you don't lay off, I'll have to jinx your mouth shut," Scorpius warned.

"Empty threat," Albus scoffed.

"Try me." Scorpius lifted his eyebrows and grinned. He looked up and his eyes caught Rose's across the room. Though she could not hear from where she stood, she looked quite entertained. She turned her head and said something to Liana, then laughed. Scorpius ducked his head quickly.

Rose caught up with Scorpius and Albus outside the class once Potions had ended.

"What was it you and Al were arguing about earlier?" she said, smiling, to Scorpius.

Scorpius sent a warning glance towards Albus, who was smirking. "Nothing really, Rosie," he said casually.

"Are you sure?" Rose teased. "Al looked like he was about to pop an eyeball."

"He's quite a dramatic bloke," Scorpius agreed.

"I'm right here," complained Albus.

"Don't we know it," said Rose, elbowing him gently in the ribs. "I can't believe it was 'nothing', though. Was it some top-secret boy thing, maybe? Am I not supposed to know?"

"Close," muttered Albus, too softly for Rose to hear.

History of Magic rolled around several horribly slow hours later. Scorpius was already seated when Albus and Rose entered the classroom, Albus' hair standing completely on end. Judging by the smug look on Rose's face, it was her Charms handiwork. No sooner had Rose slid onto the bench and next to Scorpius, with Albus repeating her actions, than she was accosted by Jason, who appeared a little frantic.

"Rose!" he exclaimed. "It _was_ the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare that your mum founded, right? It wasn't the House Elf Liberation Front?"

"No, it wasn't the House Elf Liberation Front," said Rose, startled.

"And I used uneraseable ink, too," he moaned. "Thank you." He bounded away.

"You're welcome," she called out after him.

Professor Binns floated in presently. Not making eye contact with his class, he drifted into a lecture on wizarding wars of the fifteenth century, presumably having forgotten that he had given this particular speech nearly a year ago. Nevertheless, Rose drew out a fresh quill, determined to improve last year's notes. Copying her example, Scorpius fished in his bag for a quill and a scrap of parchment. Half an hour later, he looked down and was unsurprised to find his page covered in doodles. The interesting part was the drawing itself: a starlit sky blanketing a lone flower, not yet in full bloom. Which flower? A rose... of course. He folded over the page.

Still more time passed. Rose, who had been taking notes so diligently during the first half of class, looked as if she were on the verge of nodding off. She was not alone – many seemed to be suffering from the back-to-school version of jet lag. Next to her, Albus was already in dreamland. Professor Binns droned on, oblivious to the fact that less than half his students were still conscious. Rose's eyelashes fluttered valiantly, but became still after a few minutes. Face still propped up by her arm, she looked like she was trying to absorb the lecture by osmosis. Knowing that she wasn't missing anything new, Scorpius didn't hesitate to let her sleep.

Class ended sometime later, not that Professor Binns noticed. He continued talking until he realised that several people were beginning to file out the door, then huffed indignantly and officially dismissed the class.

"Rosie," whispered Scorpius. "Rose." She opened one eye slowly.

"What...?" She glanced down at her watch. Her eyes suddenly bulged. "How long have I been asleep?!"

"Not long," said Scorpius quickly. "Don't worry; Binns hasn't suddenly become observant in the last hour or so."

"I knew I shouldn't have stayed up so late last night," she groaned. She stood up and put her bag over her shoulder. Suppressing a yawn, she said, "I played with Pi for hours! He's so affectionate." She beamed at the mere thought of her kitty.

"I'm really glad he found a good home with you, Rosie," said Scorpius sincerely.

Rose smiled and said, "I was thinking of bringing him down to the lake tomorrow afternoon – the warm weather can't last long. Would you like to come?"

"I'd love to," he told her.

A happy expression lit her face. "Okay, great. I'll see you around four?"

"That's fine."

Having set the date, they both looked down at the still dozing Albus at the same time.

"Think we should wake him?"

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**Running the risk of sounding self-pitying, I don't feel like I even _deserve_ your reviews right now. I can't believe I'm taking so long to update and then making weak excuses for myself.**

**That being said, I love my reviewers to death. You guys are saints for taking the time to leave me so many nice reviews. :)**


	5. Hand Over Fist

**To my**** anonymous reviewer of chapter four****, "****anon****"****: yes, of course I am! I have a plan, too, so as long as I keep writing regularly, it should all work out. ;)**

**So, this update was a bit quicker, right? My little angels haven't deserted me? (Actually, it would have been quicker if it weren't for school. Sighhh.)

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**Saturday arrived at its usual sluggish pace. Scorpius had not seen Rose all day, for she worked best in the library while he preferred to study outdoors. The sunny weather had held, but a solitary grey cloud on the horizon had the students worried – like Rose, many of them had opted to work inside. Scorpius wasn't worried yet. Besides the lone cloud and the next to imperceptible drop in temperature, there wasn't much to indicate that the elements were about to unleash their wrath. 

Scorpius scanned his surroundings. Rose hadn't come yet, but then, he was somewhat early. Shrugging, he sat himself comfortably beneath a twisted oak tree and pulled out a book he had been reading earlier in the day: Practical Defensive Magic for the New Generation. The book was interesting enough to hold his attention for quite a while, but sooner or later he began to feel the time passing. Half an hour had passed while he was absorbed in his book, and still Rose had not come – perhaps she had forgotten?

Fifteen minutes more slipped away. Now Scorpius was curious as to what was keeping her, and just the tiniest bit uneasy. Momentarily, he rose to his feet. No sooner had he turned around than had Rose appeared from the direction of the courtyard, walking towards him. She was holding Pi in the crook of one arm, her free arm hanging at her side. It seemed an odd position to hold a cat in, Scorpius thought.

"Hey," she said when she was near, "I'm _so_ sorry I'm late. I was delayed in the library – I had to look something up, and I really couldn't put it off. Sorry for keeping you waiting so long, Scorpius."

"It's fine, Rosie – did you find what you were looking for?"

"I did," she said easily. "It was a bit of challenge locating the book, that's all. Here – do you want to hold him?" she asked, referring to the kitten she was nuzzling.

Scorpius smiled, and reached out his hands. As Rose finally raised her right arm to pass the little cat to him, a wince of what was clearly pain of some sort clouded her face. It did not go unnoticed by Scorpius, though by the way she ducked her head, she probably wished it had. As he received the kitten, Scorpius said, "What is it, Rosie?"

She smiled halfheartedly and shook her head. "Nothing. Guess my hand fell asleep, or something."

"Rosie-" Scorpius gently lifted her hand and pulled back the long sleeve. He frowned at what he saw. "Why is your hand all red? And it looks swollen, too!"

Rose looked upset at his analysis.

"Doesn't this hurt, Rose?" asked Scorpius.

"No," said Rose, firmly now. "Barely. I looked up a healing spell in the library. It's much better now, believe me."

"Rosie – what did you _do _to it?"

"I don't want to say," she admitted. "It's so _embarrassing_. And you don't want to know, either."

"I do so want to know! What if this injury is more than skin-deep, Rosie?" he told her. "You could be hurt more than you realise."

She contemplated him for a moment, distressed. Then, with the air of someone making a great concession – and in her opinion, she was – she sighed and said, "I really, really don't want to tell you, but if I do, you have to promise me that this will be the only time we speak about it, all right? Oh, and I'd prefer it if Albus remained in the dark, please."

Scorpius agreed without hesitation. "If you want."

Looking vaguely sullen, she leaned over and whispered, "I punched someone."

"You… punched someone." It seemed rather out-of-character to Scorpius.

"Because he kissed me." Her previously calm voice was now laced with anger.

"He _what_?!" A furious, impromptu battle began in Scorpius' head.

"After I said 'thanks, but no thanks' to his Hogsmeade invitation," she confirmed. "I had made my feelings perfectly clear – and he's a complete git, anyway – and yet, for some reason I am _utterl__y _unable to fathom, he thought I would welcome a public display affection, to which six students and one professor were witnesses!" Unbeknownst to her, her voice had risen to a series of very loud, very indignant squeaks.

"I – er – why didn't you just–"

"– hex him into the next lifetime? Because, in a stroke of typical brilliance, I had left my wand on one of the tables for a second to pull a book off the shelf – it was on the highest one, naturally, and I needed both hands," said Rose huffily. "So I punched him, instead. As hard as I could, to pay him back for that horrible, disgusting, unwanted, _slobbery _excuse for a kiss."

Scorpius blinked frantically and tried desperately not to form mental pictures. "Do you think I should… do something about it?"

Rose laughed kindly. "Noble, but unnecessary. Thanks anyway, Scorpius. Not that my fist caused him that much harm, but he did get detention for it, and he's not really _that_ horrible of a person, if I'm being completely honest. Even if he did cause me humiliation the likes of which I've never experienced before… even if I do feel the slightest desire to hurt him after that moronic trick…"

"Reckon he's learned his lesson?" Scorpius asked. His strong irritation towards the unknown wizard was only slowly diffusing.

At this, Rose smiled. "I hope so. And if not–" she patted her book bag "–I've checked out a book that includes some very creative jinxes… just in case, you know."

"Speaking of 'just in case'… I really think we should get your hand looked over, Rosie," said Scorpius seriously.

Rose gave him a pleading look, but it did no good. "All right," she sighed. "But remember that Al is_ not_ going to hear about this, okay? He'd never, ever let me live it down."

Twenty-five minutes later, Rose was sitting cross-legged on a questionable mattress in the hospital wing, Pi snuggled in slumber at her feet, and her hand improving by the moment.

"Oh, this does feel better," she said happily, rubbing her wrist. "Thanks for making me come, Scorpius. I should have listened to you in the first place, I suppose."

A half-smile crept up on Scorpius' face. "I'm just glad… your hand will be as good as new in another half an hour."

"And then nobody will think to ask me what happened," added Rose, satisfied. Her gaze fell upon Pi at her ankles, and then to the window, where she could see the storm in progress outside. "Well, this afternoon turned out to be quite the bust."

Scorpius, too, glanced out the window – the pouring rain and dark grey sky had appeared, it seemed, out of thin air. "Nobody's fault. The weather was too good to last."

"If it clears up soon, maybe we could try again next weekend? Hogsmeade, I mean. Maybe we could go? Together?" Rose suggested.

"Of course, that would be great! Er – is Al coming, too?" Not that he didn't want his best friend around, but it was so very rarely that Scorpius had any time alone with Rose outside of class.

"Nah, he said he wanted to give Quidditch tryouts one last shot. I heard him mumble something about 'living in the moment'."

"Didn't he already go through the _carpe diem_ phase last year?" asked Scorpius, laughing.

"He goes through it _every _year; I think he's just become a little more persistent this year now that we're about to graduate," said Rose, expressing her amusement with a quiet giggle.

A comfortable silence fell upon the two of them.

"I wanted to t—" Rose began, squeezing his hand "—OUCH! Ow, ow! Why does it still hurt, Scorpius?! Why?!"

"Rose, your hand was pretty badly hurt – you're not supposed to squeeze or anything for a while yet." He noticed her waving the hand wildly, as if doing so would banish the pain. "That counts under 'anything', by the way."

Rose groaned and flopped heavily backwards on the bed, something which Pi did not appreciate. "I'll kill him," she growled.

"Rosie. You're a lovely, forgiving person," Scorpius told her.

"No, I'm not. I'm not!" she protested. "I'm a vengeful, pain-inducing person."

"As of…?"

"Always! Right now! Does it matter?"

Scorpius motioned toward the half-drained flash of potion that had been left on the bedside table next to them. "Want some more?"

"Noo. What am I even doing here? I'm not an invalid," she complained, swinging out of the bed and picking up Pi gently.

"But, Rosie, you've still got another twenty minutes left to…" He was silenced by the suspiciously sudden, unbearable pleading in her eyes. Combined with a heartbreaking pout, it was a look that would have put puppy dogs the world over to shame.

"Uh…"

"You wouldn't tell on me if I left just a _little_ bit early, would you, Scorpius?" A hopeful smile illuminated Rose's face.

"But…"

Another look.

Scorpius sighed in resignation. "We'd better go now, then, before you're checked up on again."

Rose grinned and gingerly lifted her bag over her shoulder. "_Thank _you."

"Will you blame me if your hand still hurts tomorrow?"

Rose tilted her head to the side and, eyes twinkling, said, "Would it make you feel better if I said now that I assume full responsibility for any injuries I may cause myself?"

"Not really," said Scorpius honestly. "I'd still feel guilty."

"Well, you worry too much. Now come on, let's go!" Grabbing his wrist with her good hand, the one not cradling Pi, she pulled him along with her out of the claustrophobic room.

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**So, last chapter was mostly Scorpius and Albus, and this one is completely Scorpius and Rose. What did you ****guys ****think? Next chapter will probably be more from Rose'****s perspective, by the way. ****Lots of love from ****Hanneli****… ****er****… me. :) **


	6. Lies and Alibis

**Hi, anon! I would have just replied to your review, but it's, well, anonymous. :)**** In response to your question, yes, there is a reason! Ooh, the mystery… well, not really. You'll see. XD**

**It's been two weeks since my last update. Not great, but not too horrible, I think. School's starting to interfere with writing, but not to worry, I wouldn't abandon this story! I just don't have as much time for sleep as I used to, haha.

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"Come on, Rosie, I _said_ I was sorry!" whined the boy trailing after Rose. Her pace was quick, and he struggled to keep up.

"I know. I said, 'that's lovely for you'. And don't call me Rosie. Only my friends call me that," she snapped.

"Aren't you ever going to forgive me?" he asked.

"Why should I? As if it weren't bad enough that you practically stalk me outside of class."

"I'm not _stalking _you," he said, his voice as unpleasant as ever.

"If you hadn't noticed, I'm not exactly welcoming your presence," she said, utterly unmoved by the sound of her own harsh tone. The unpleasantly cold air was not doing much for her mood.

"Now you're just being mean," the boy complained.

"Well, maybe you should have thought of that before you decided to be such a... a... _before _you chose to humiliate me in public!" she finished, unable, even angry, to say the words that were readily supplying themselves to her.

"Well, I didn't know you were going to react like that," he said, as if saying so would mollify her.

"That's because you're a thoughtless git, Conrad," said Rose furiously. "And I _was_ nice. I was, until you point-blank refused to accept that I won't go out with you, became a crazy stalker, stole my homework so that I would be forced to go down to your common room to ask you for it back, and then snogged me in the library."

"It sounds worse when you say it like that," he said, unfazed.

She gave a shriek of frustration. "It's bad _any _way you say it, Conrad! Won't you _please_ just leave me alone?"

"But I don't want to."

Sending him one last withering glare, she turned on her heel and stalked off, managing a good four steps before he caught up to her again.

"Wait, don't go yet," he said. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Conrad, you're not exactly in the position to ask me f—"

"Will you go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?"

She looked at him stonily. "No. I have plans, anyway."

"But—"

"_No!_"

"Well, if that's the way you feel," he sighed.

"Good," said Rose firmly, "because it is. Goodbye."

She turned around again, and heard him mutter something under his breath. Reluctantly turning back to face him, she demanded, "What was that?"

He shrugged. "Nothing."

"Oh, really? Because it sounded almost as if you said – and I couldn't _possibly_ have heard correctly, because you couldn't _possibly_ have dared to say what I think you said – that-"

"You just shouldn't be surprised if I lose my self-control around you again," he confirmed.

A moment passed silently. Finally letting out a deep breath, Rose said, "Conrad, the only reason you are not currently lying in a million little pieces is because I'd hate to have to admit that I have even less _self-control_ than you. But if you _ever _kiss me again…" She let her words trail off, the unfinished threat rather frightening.

He smirked and crossed his arms. "Well, that's up to you, isn't it?"

Rose's face turned an odd shade of purple. Trying and failing to unclench her teeth, she hissed, "One hour. One hour of my time and that is all, d'you understand?"

"Deal," he said, satisfied. Smiling smugly, he turned around and walked off, whistling cheerfully as he went.

Still in a frenzy of rage, Rose climbed the stairs leading up to the owlery, telling herself that scrunching up the short letter in her hand would only cause more questions from James.

She had intended to borrow Albus' owl, Striker, to make the journey, but upon stepping into the owlery itself, she realised that Albus was already there, in the middle of tying his own letter to Striker's foot.

"Who's that for?" she asked, trying to make her voice sound normal.

"Moron, isn't he," said Albus matter-of-factly.

"Who's the letter addressed to?" Rose ignored his statement.

"It's for James," he said.

"Good, we can send them together," she said, retrieving a piece of string and deftly tying her letter to Striker's free foot.

Resuming the conversation for which Rose had shown great distaste, Albus said, "He really _is_ a git, though, isn't he?"

"I assume you heard us, then?" she asked, sighing.

"Just you, most of the time," he said. "You were sort of yelling."

"I don't know what to _do_ with him anymore, Al," said Rose, her expression a peculiar mixture of anger and desperation. "He just won't leave me alone. I told him I had a boyfriend; that didn't work. I told him I had a contagious disease; that didn't work. I flat-out told him that I can't stand him; even _that _failed miserably. Why can't he just get it through his thick head that I—"

"Hey," said Scorpius, walking into the owlery presently. "I didn't know you two were going to be here. I was hoping that I could borrow Striker, Al… but I guess you need him?"

"Unless your letter is for—" said Albus.

"James," said Scorpius and Rose in unison. Looking at Rose in surprise, Scorpius' eyes asked her a silent question.

Shrugging her shoulders, Rose explained, "It just makes a cosmic sort of sense."

Smiling, Scorpius held the letter out to Striker, who grabbed it in his beak, seemingly undisturbed by this new addition to the two letters already attached to his feet. Rose petted the owl's head and said, "Poor baby. Think you can make it all the way to James?"

Giving a haughty squeaking noise, the owl extended its wings and quickly rose above their heads, apparently indignant over Rose's lack of faith in him.

"Sorry!" she called futilely after the bird. She looked back down to Scorpius, whose eyes were fixed upon her face. "Oh, I know," she said, rolling her eyes, "but I've swear he's never liked me. And even less so since I've had Pi."

"Don't tell me they've had the chance to… meet?" asked Scorpius apprehensively.

A guilty expression crossed Rose's face. "Pi was behaving himself so well. And he's too tiny to, say, eat Striker. How was I supposed to know he would try to pounce on him?"

Shaking his head, Albus said, "You aren't fit to care for an animal."

"Yes, I am!" Rose protested.

"Yeah, she is," Scorpius agreed. "You know how responsible she is. And Pi can't even get up the stairs by himself. Taking down a full-grown owl was never a real possibility."

"Well," said Albus darkly, "my owl just better be in one piece at the end of this year, Rose Weasley."

"I promise I'll keep him away from the owlery from now on," Rose sang out.

"You'd better," he said, allowing a half-smile. He crossed the room in a few strides, stuffed a few scraps of parchment into his bag and settled it onto his shoulder. He followed Rose and Scorpius out the door and pointedly lagged behind, an act that, as usual, went unnoticed by his cousin.

The sky was only just beginning to darken. No stars had come out yet, but the pale moon was evident against the backdrop of the deep blue sky. Glancing back to see whether Albus was still trailing them, Rose said to Scorpius, "Can you believe that it's getting dark this early? And cold, too! This time last year it still felt like summer, remember?"

As soon as he heard the word "cold" Scorpius immediately began to shrug off his jacket to give to Rose, but she refused to take it.

"Scorpius," she laughed. "Keep it; I'll be fine for a few minutes. It's not that chilly, anyway."

"I'm too warm, though," he said, not really lying. "Just put it on – it'll keep you warm."

For a moment she hesitated, and he was sure she would again refuse. Surprisingly, though, she accepted the jacket and let it rest over her shoulders. Scorpius knew she must have been truly cold to have done so.

"Too warm, my foot," she muttered.

"I guess I'm just extra-warm blooded."

"And so your parents decided to name you after a lizard. That makes perfect sense."

"That's life," he said, laughing.

Feeling guilty about hoarding all the heat, Rose walked closely beside him in the hope that he would acquire some of the warmth. Indescribably happy just to have her there, so near to him, Scorpius fell silent. Albus' presence forgotten, he focused on more important things: Rose's arm brushing against his, covered by the jacket that was too large for her; her feet, keeping pace with his, so graceful when there was nothing around to trip on; the top of her head, nearly a full head below his, but not quite… in fact, it seemed to be just level with his lips…

"Tomorrow," she began – then paused.

"Yes…?" Scorpius prompted her.

Striving to keep her voice neutral, Rose said, "It's just, I've promised Conrad Ayres I'd meet him at Hogsmeade tomorrow. Which makes me horrible, because I made plans with you, but it'll just be an hour, and I really don't think I can get out of it." Seeing his face fall, she clasped her hands behind her back and said, "I'm _really_ sorry, Scorpius. Please forgive me."

As if he could resist her pleading eyes. "Don't worry about it, Rosie. You're, uh, just going to meet him for an hour?"

"Yes, just an hour. I'll meet you as soon as it's over," she assured him.

Though their backs were turned to him, Albus could picture their faces, mirroring each other in their disappointment. He wasn't that far away from them now, and didn't realise they would hear his exasperated snort. When both Rose and Scorpius turned to stare at him, he made an excuse about all the bugs out that night.

"So you two – feel free to carry on," he added, rolling his eyes only mentally.

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Dear James, 

But that's just the thing – easier said than done! And somehow, I think that the love-potion tipped arrows idea could backfire. Do I not tempt fate enough already?

-Al

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Dear James, 

Is that what Al tells you? Maybe I need to have a little chat with him about OVERSIMPLIFYING THINGS. Give my love to Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny, and for the love of Merlin, stop listening to Al!

-Rosie

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Dear James, 

Is it _really_ that obvious?

-Scorpius

**

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Aaaand, next chapter is Hogsmeade. Tell me, do you hate Conrad? Do you? I dedicate his character to jerks everywhere.**

**I'd love a review if you have time and have something to say… I know sometimes you don't… it's okay. :)**** Thank you either way; I'm just glad when people read this story!**


	7. Green Eyed Monster

**Geez… I honestly can't believe I'm on chapter 7. This is my first, and only, multi-chapter fic, so I can tell you one thing: it never would have happened without the huge amount of support I've received from my reviewers. Once again, I feel the need to thank all you guys. You've made this site the wonderful place it is. My gratitude is endless.**

**Don't worry, this isn't goodbye. I'm pretty sure this story is going to be ten chapters long, so things really need to start moving! –Sets things in motion-

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Slowly Scorpius wandered down the familiar streets of Hogsmeade, letting his feet lead him where they would. It was a cold day, but he wasn't bothered by the frostiness of the air. His feet, however, must have had a different idea in mind, as they brought him to the doorstep of The Three Broomsticks. Mind still fogged up over too many unanswered questions, he bought himself a warm drink and sat down at a small table near the side of the room to mull it all over.

Conrad Aryes? That dark-haired boy in her Arithmancy class? Was she – ? Were they – ? So desperately did he not want to think the thoughts infecting his mind that he cut them all off prematurely. Rosie was on a… date with him?

Jealousy Scorpius did not want to feel was seeping through his body. He tried to focus. It was irrational to feel as he did when he had never given Rosie any reason to suspect how he felt about her. She was free to go out with whomever she pleased, of course. It was better this way, for her to be unaware, than for her to feel pity for him. And what else would she feel for her friend whose feelings she couldn't possibly return?

He told himself to think of something else, but his traitorous mind refused to oblige. Instead, it conjured up unwanted mental images of what Rose and Conrad were doing together at that moment. Maybe they were at the new shop down the main road, the one that had opened just last week and that he and Rose had planned to visit today. A dull stab of something that could only be classified as pain racked his chest. Maybe they were gathered around one of those God-awful tables in Madam Puddifoot's, slowly sipping the trademark too-sweet lemon tea. Another stab. Maybe they were down at the Shrieking Shack, which had become quite the lover's haunt in recent years, mostly due to a lack of supervision, and maybe, maybe he had given her his jacket to fend off the icy wind. Stab, stab, stab. Suddenly unable to bear any more of the pub's stuffy atmosphere, he leapt to his feet, nearly causing Delilah Mackey, who had been passing by, to drop her Butterbeer.

"I'm sorry!" he apologized, steadying the drink. Gesturing to his now empty seat, he said, "Did you want to sit here? I was just leaving."

"Oh… er… thanks, Scorpius," she said. She smiled in acknowledgment, but there was distress in her eyes.

"Is something the matter?" he asked her, his conscience unable to let him leave without asking.

Sliding into the seat across from where Scorpius had been sitting, her dark eyebrows drew together and she rested her hand against her temple. "That obvious, is it?" Her eyes fell upon his half-full glass. "Weren't you going to finish? If you have a moment, I could really use a sympathetic ear."

Silently he sat back down and waited for her to speak.

"Do you know Clarisse? Clarisse Lau, in Hufflepuff?" She bit her lip, looking glum.

"No, I don't think so…," said Scorpius, unable to remember anybody by that name.

"She's my best friend," said Delilah dismally. "Oh, I'm in such a mess!" Her face sunken into her hands, she continued, "She lives in France, and every year she invites me back to her home for the summer, and every year I'm forced to turn her down because my parents are _so_ over-protective. After that string of wizard-murders there a few years back, they told me in no uncertain terms that I wasn't to leave Britain on my own until I was seventeen. Well, I'm _finally_ seventeen now and I promised her I'd finally come visit this summer, but I just found out my dad's being transferred to South Africa for two years – he's a Muggle – and he's leaving August twenty-second. Which shouldn't be a problem because he knows I could always Apparate over to see him, but Mum's insisted I come back home for a 'proper goodbye' before he leaves, and that we need to spend some 'quality time' together before we don't see each other for who knows how long. I've tried to compromise, but she just refuses to bend. She's made it extremely clear that there's no way for me to get out of this."

"You're worried Clarisse won't understand?" asked Scorpius. "Do you think she'll be upset with you?"

Delilah frowned. "I'm not sure. All I know it that she's going to be really, really disappointed. This is her last year at home, that's the thing. She's planning to move away once we leave Hogwarts, so it won't be the same for her. And I've already promised her, too; I had no idea this was coming."

"That's kind of a difficult situation," Scorpius admitted. "If you haven't told her, though, I guess I'd have to recommend doing it soon, before she really gets her hopes up. I don't know if this is any consolation, my best friend forgave _me_ pretty easily for not visiting her this past summer."

Delilah gave him a weak smile. "That's because it's _Rosie_. How could she stay angry with you? I mean, she has the – oh, speak of the devil."

Rose, just coming through the door, made a beeline for Scorpius. Once she reached the table, she said, "Hi! I'm a little early. Hi, Delilah."

"Hi, Rosie."

"How are you?"

"Better now, after talking with Scorpius."

An awkward silence hung in the air for a few seconds. Delilah broke it by standing up and saying, "I'd better go find Clarisse. I think you were right, Scorpius. I guess I'll see you two later."

"Goodbye," Rose said, slipping into Delilah's now empty seat. She tucked her hair behind her ear and gave a strained smile. To Scorpius she said, "Hi."

"Hi," he responded, trying to read her expression.

Her voice bright – strangely so – she said, "Delilah, she's very nice, isn't she?"

"Uh. Yeah, I guess," said Scorpius slowly. He wondered if he was missing something.

Rose merely nodded and stared down at the table. Either she was thinking about something somewhat distant or she found something about the piece of Multi-Flavour Chewing Gum stuck to the side of the table fascinating.

Somehow Scorpius found the gum theory unlikely.

For the next little while he tried valiantly to keep up a conversation, and he suspected that Rose was trying to contribute to the discussion, but despite their best efforts, all attempts seemed doomed to end in an obviously uncomfortable silence. Scorpius couldn't help but wonder what was wrong. Usually he and Rose had no trouble speaking to each other; in her case, she had trouble with _stopping _to speak every once in a while.

"Do you think Al's tryouts are going well?" Scorpius asked.

"I really don't know," answered Rose honestly. Scorpius thought her expression was a bit lighter now than it had previously been.

"Did he improve any over the summer?" He wondered if it was obvious he was trying to incite some small-talk.

"Well, I'd say so, but he's… " She caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye and squinted out the window. "Er, Scorpius? Is it me, or is he across the street?"

Turning to look, Scorpius saw his friend mere metres away, peering through the always mouth-watering window display at the Honeydukes shop. Albus turned around to speak to a girl near him, and then did a double-take when he saw Scorpius and Rose through the window of The Three Broomsticks. He said what appeared to be a quick farewell to the girl and dashed off, re-appearing moments later in the pub's doorway. Pulling up a chair next to Rose and Scorpius, he said, "I've been looking for you two everywhere. A bloke needs his friends to help him drown his sorrows."

Patting his back sympathetically, Rose said, "Quidditch tryouts not go well?"

Looking forlorn, Albus answered, "They were going fine, until I accidentally dropped a Bludger on a first-year's head. Sparts said I needn't stick around for the rest of the tryouts. Oh, and Hugo nearly died of a laughing attack when the kid started chasing me around with my own bat."

"And that's why I'm your favourite relative," said Rose, laughing. Her cousin's presence had visibly put her at ease. For some reason she seemed to have no problem chatting to him about such mundane things as whether he had finished his Herbology essay yet (he hadn't). Scorpius couldn't understand why she wasn't speaking to him in the same way she was speaking to Albus, the same way she normally spoke to him. She didn't seem to be upset with him, but then, you never knew for sure.

"How'd your, uh, meeting with Conrad go? Did he behave himself?" Albus asked now, his tone a little bit _too _innocent.

Rose gave him a withering look. "You're teasing. And after I was so understanding, too. That's awfully mean of you."

"No, not mean. It's just that I'm sure Scorpius here is dying to know," said Albus, perfectly conscious of the true meaning beneath his joking words. However, all he earned himself was a Look from both parties. Not a happy Look; a what-in-the-world-are-you-doing? Look. Still, neither one said a word.

"So," Albus said, drawing out the word. "Is it just me, or this seriously awkward?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Scorpius as Rose simultaneously said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mhmm. Sure; all right," said Albus, privately deciding that as his hints were not proving to be sufficient, he would be forced to move on to bigger, riskier tactics. Hopefully they would be more effective, because if ever he found something irritating, it was willful denial.

A plan was forming…

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**Ah yes! Something That Actually Resembles A Plot! LOL. Sure, Albus is a poor excuse for a Cupid, but let's see if he can redeem himself next chapter. Mwahahahaha.**

**Ooh. The evil laugh was too much. I apologise; I'm just giddy over having Something That Actually Resembles A Plot.**

**Thank you a million and one times for your reviews. I love them so, so much.**

**-Hanneli :)**


	8. A Red, Red Rose

**It's been so long since I've updated. I'm sorry; so sorry! Life got in the way again – don't you hate it when that happens? Sigh. On the bright side, the chapter update before this was an all-time speed record for me. This one, obviously, is not. But enough of me talking. Here it is, chapter eight, and as always I'd love to hear what you think!

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"I'm telling you, in a week or two they'll be begging me to join them," Albus bragged, milk spilling unnoticed out of his spoon. As usual, his enthusiasm had succeeded in undermining his co-ordination.

"Who are we talking about, exactly?" Scorpius asked before taking a large bite of bagel. He chewed and waited expectantly for the most likely harebrained explanation to follow.

"The Gryffindor Quidditch team. They need me," Albus announced in a tone that made it clear he considered this to be common knowledge.

"Since when?" Scorpius wondered aloud. "Didn't they just beat Hufflepuff by something like two hundred points?"

He was met with a blank stare. With wide eyes, Albus said, "Yes. So what?"

"Nothing; nothing," Scorpius backtracked, remembering a past resolution to support his friend's delusional dreams, no matter how ill-informed they happened to be. He turned his attention back to his breakfast.

Glancing sideways, a bright smile, almost a smirk, lit Albus' face; a smile Scorpius didn't miss, despite Albus' effort to turn his face toward the bowl of cereal in front of him. He raised an eyebrow.

"What are you so happy about?" Scorpius asked, a little suspiciously.

"Me? Nothing," said Albus, the very picture of innocence. "I just think today's going to be a good day. For you, that is."

"Care to elaborate?" asked Scorpius, reluctantly curious. If there was one thing Albus could be counted on to be, it was straightforward. Cryptic remarks weren't his usual style.

Shaking his head, Albus said, "You'll see soon enough." _Tactics_, he gleefully thought to himself.

"You're mad, you know that?" Scorpius told him, laughing. "I honestly don't know what goes through your mind half the time."

"Throughout history, geniuses have always been misunderstood. It happens," said Albus, shrugging.

Scorpius was genuinely impressed that Albus was able to keep a straight face. Greatly amused, he then raised his eyes and spotted Rose walking through the main entrance of the Great Hall, and the laughter died in his throat. Albus waved his cousin over, and, catching his eye, she danced over in her uniquely endearing way.

"Hi, you two!" Rose greeted them with more enthusiasm than usual. She took a seat between the two of them and proceeded to tightly hug each of them in turn.

Scorpius immediately knew something was wrong. Her cheeks were flushed hectically pink, her eyes open, bright and wide, and her voice oddly loud and forceful. He darted a glance at Albus, whose confusion was also evident upon his face. Lily, a little ways down the table, had also noticed, and poked Hugo to alert him as well.

Scorpius placed his hand on Rose's arm. "Rosie? Um… is –"

She stood up, beaming, and snatched up a piece of toast. "Yes? Spit it out, already! Hesitation is so exasperating, don't you find? Oh, it's all so tiring."

Scorpius stared. "It seems like I've been saying this a lot lately, but… are you all right?"

Looking touched, Rose said, "Scorpius, why it is that you're always so sweet to me, when all I can seem to do is ditch you? It isn't fair; I don't deserve your concern."

Scorpius shared another quick glance with Albus. He stood up and, keeping his voice low, said, "Of course you do, Rosie. Why would you even say you don't?"

For a moment he thought he saw a flicker of sadness in her eyes, but it was gone too quickly to be sure. Still looking awfully emotional, she wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. This alone wouldn't have attracted _too_ much attention from the student population, but the amount of time she lingered in letting go did. The way she was resting her head upon his shoulder _certainly_ did. First of all to notice was Scorpius who was not, to be sure, displeased, but whose thoughts were racing wildly to find an explanation for her behaviour. Especially when her fingers began tracing a little heart on his chest.

He pulled away, just slightly, and said quietly, "Rosie…?"

She looked up at him with an expression that was happier than and yet just as intense as before. Making no effort to copy his example and attempt to keep their conversation private, she announced to the room at large, "You have such beautiful eyes, did you know? I don't think I've ever told you, but I've been staring at them since we were eleven. Such a lovely clear grey. Pretty, so pretty."

That the eyes she liked so much were currently flitting around in alarm didn't seem to faze her, and neither did the fact that the whispers in the Hall had escalated to a noticeable buzzing.

"Rosie, I think you may have a fever or something," Scorpius said pleadingly. "Come on, why don't we walk to the hospital wing together?"

Albus, who looked as if he had been waiting for such an opportunity, jumped to his feet, looking very nervous indeed. "I think that's the best idea, Scorpius; in fact, I think I'll come with you two!"

Not bothering to spare her cousin even the briefest of glances, Rose's eyes were still intently locked on Scorpius'.

In a voice that might have been a coo had it been quieter, Rose said, "I don't want to go to the hospital wing. I just want _you_, Scorpius."

Reclaiming the few inches lost between them, she wrapped her arms around his neck, raised herself to her tiptoes and kissed him. Fervently she pressed her lips to his, and for a second Scorpius forgot everything else. He half-believed that it was real, that somehow a miracle had occurred and his dearest wish had been granted, but the small bit of sense left to him seized his mind and forced him to break off the kiss. Persistent, Rose leaned in again, but Scorpius held her off. With only good intentions he asked, "Rosie, what's wrong with you?!" His eyes shot to their large audience, taking in their fixated stares.

Immediately her mood again swung to the polar opposite. Obviously she had taken his words the wrong way; he had realised how they could – or would – sound only after they had already been said. The coquettish flirt in front of him had vanished, leaving a hurt and upset girl in her place. Seeing her insecurity, Scorpius wanted to apologise, but he couldn't even begin to fathom what was going on with his Rosie. Before he even opened his mouth he saw a flash of anger appear in her eyes.

"'What's wrong with you?' I bet you wouldn't say that to Delilah, would you?" she said furiously, eyes welling up with astonishing speed. "She's nicer than me, prettier than me, and oh, probably smarter as well! Well, I can't say I didn't see this coming. I've long suspected you would choose her over than me."

"Rosie, what are you _talking_ about?" Scorpius demanded.

Lily, just as lost as the others, chimed in with, "What on _earth_ is happening, here?" She looked to Albus as if he held the answers, and Scorpius did the same. To his surprise, Albus was sitting stock-still, on his face an expression of, if anything, horrified shock.

Preoccupied with the sound of Rose sniffling angrily in front of him, Scorpius looked at her pleadingly and said, "Rosie, I don't know what's going on, but it's going to be al—"

"Stop it!" she yelled, and a pair of tears escaped from her eyelids and trickled down her cheeks. She stomped her foot in an act reminiscent of someone much younger than herself. "I hate you!"

And then, all at once, something changed. The disturbing flash of anger on her face faded away, revealing a more familiar, calmer expression. She blinked once or twice and said, "Scorpius?"

"…Rosie?"

Appearing to be the slightest bit dazed, she glanced around the Hall, frowning. "I— Why are they…?" Realisation came, gradually. Mounting horror dawned on her face with every snicker, every catcall coming from the four identical tables. Her eyes grew wide and red flooded to her cheeks in a quick burst of shame. "Oh… _oh_!" She looked back at Scorpius desperately, her eyes begging him to assure her what had happened was nothing but a dream she could only vaguely remember. To comfort her just as he always did, and to somehow make the horrible wolf whistles go away, either by magic or more physical means.

Though he wanted so much to be able to explain to her what had just happened, not a single word supplied itself to Scorpius. Taking his silence as an awful confirmation, Rose stifled a strangled whimper of disbelief with her hand, not entirely concealing the sick look on her face. She was suddenly unable to endure the malicious laughter coming from all sides. He moved as if to take her hand, but she flinched away, and, afraid that if she stayed she wouldn't be able to hold back the humiliated tears now threatening to fall, she turned and ran out of the Hall before she could make a further spectacle out of herself.

Scorpius paused for only seconds. He spun around to face Albus, who was still standing frozen with that same expression of guilt and horror on his face, and demanded in a low voice, "What the _hell_ did you do to her?" He received no verbal response, but the look on Albus' face was confession and repentance both. He glared once at his friend and ran off after Rose, leaving the stunned, and for once, silent, Albus behind.

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**I was going to continue on for a bit after this, but I figured what I had in mind would fit better with the next chapter. I'm not very positive when that will be up, but I think I can guarantee it won't be as atrociously long a wait as this time was.**

**I hope everyone has a safe and peaceful Remembrance Day (or Veterans Day or Armistice Day depending on where you are!)**

**P.S. Are my chapters really too short? Somehow, in my childhood, I developed a skill for summarising things into a teensy fraction of their original length and I've been trying to overcome the habit for a while now – it doesn't make for much of a story.**

**Love love love love love, Hanneli.**


	9. Actions Speak Louder

**And I'm back. We're kind of sort of nearing the end now, folks, since chapter ten should be the last one. I'm almost there… almost there… -breathes-**

**I am so overwhelmed at the number of reviews I've received so far. Thank you; I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! This is every fanfic author's dream come true. Heck, I never even imagined a response of this magnitude when I first began writing. Many thanks!**

**P.S. It's a little longer this time. I tried my best.

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"Rosie! _Rosie_," called Scorpius futilely. He stared hopelessly at the entrance to the girls' dormitory, sealed tight with enchantments he couldn't even dream of thwarting. A sudden rush of frustration flowed through him. He knew Rosie was up there somewhere, she simply couldn't hear him. Giving up, he sighed and sunk into one of the armchairs scattered around the common room. He stared up at the ceiling blankly. What could he do but wait for her to come out?

A good hour passed and still Rose didn't leave the confines of the dormitory. Eventually Scorpius was forced to leave for Potions, lest he arrive late. It struck him as worrisome that Rose appeared to be so upset that she would wait for him to leave the common room before making her exit. Privately he wondered, quite apprehensively, if she blamed him for the morning's incident… it was possible.

But Potions began and there was no sign of Rose. Uneasy after the first fifteen minutes of class passed despite her absence, he waited until their professor was otherwise occupied to confront Albus.

"I figure it's as good a time as any for an explanation, mate," he said steadily to his friend.

Albus grimaced. For a moment he seemed to have trouble opening his mouth, and then it all began to pour out at once. "It was an accident; a horrible, horrible accident. I didn't know she would react like that, Scorpius, I swear! It was just supposed to loosen up her tongue a bit, just a little bit, so she'd be less resistant to the idea of telling you that she likes you more than you think. I honestly have no idea why all her emotions and feelings went into overdrive."

"You dosed her with a _potion_?" said Scorpius incredulously.

Albus nodded miserably. "Yes."

"That was… really low."

Albus looked at him, real remorse in his eyes. "I know. But it was supposed to be harmless. I didn't realise… I must have given her too much or something like that. You have to believe me, Scorpius, because I don't know if she will."

"Believe you? I'm sure she will. Forgive you? That's another story. You gave her some dodgy potion that put a bunch of crazy thoughts in her head—"

"No," said Albus, suddenly adamant. "The potion doesn't do that. Create thoughts for you, I mean. It just emphasises existing emotions so that you're more likely to act on them – really, really emphasised them, in this case."

"Do I look like I'm in the mood, Al?" Scorpius asked warningly.

"Sorry," Albus backtracked.

Scorpius sighed. "Will you at least tell her what happened? She deserves to know."

"I know," Albus admitted. "Can't say I'm looking forward to it, though. God, she's just going to skin me alive. Not that I wouldn't deserve it," he added hastily at Scorpius' less than sympathetic expression.

"When are you planning on telling her?" Scorpius asked, determined to procure a straight answer.

Albus gave him a weak smile. "As soon as possible?"

"At lunch," Scorpius stated. There was little room for negotiation in his voice.

"All right, at lunch," Albus sighed.

When Scorpius caught up with him several hours later, Albus merely shook his head. "Haven't seen her yet. I've kept an eye on the door for the past twenty minutes. She must have snuck down to the kitchens – or else she isn't hungry."

"Charms, then," Scorpius said, a hint of desperation in his voice. He was at a loss for what to do when, two hours later, a breathless Albus rushed into History of Magic, late, and informed him that Rose had not shown up for Charms. In response, Scorpius' eyes travelled to Rose's empty seat beside him – it was not a welcome sight. He sank gloomily into his seat and proceeded to spend the remainder of the class thinking about something that was most definitely not Binns' lecture.

When History of Magic ended, Scorpius and Albus went their separate ways, but not before Albus assured Scorpius that he would do everything possible to set the record straight with Rose. To a casual acquaintance, he would have appeared to be more than confident, but Scorpius recognised the signs of nervousness in his friend. The way Albus was swaying his weight from one leg to another signified that he was dreading something, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what. Though he deeply disapproved of Albus' actions, Scorpius could see that he truly did want to make it right. A small portion of his anger dissipated as he watched Albus walk down the hallway alone.

Albus, for his part, wandered the corridors of Hogwarts for some time before catching a glimpse of his target. Reddish brown curls were disappearing around a corner a good distance away from his current location. Breaking into a sprint, he caught up with his cousin, who was drooping under the weight of an entire day's worth of textbooks, notes and assignments.

"Rosie!" he said. She whirled around in a panic, then let out a deep breath.

"Geez, Al, you nearly gave me a heart—"

"I've been looking everywhere for you," he said, cutting her off. "There's something that I kind of really need to tell you."

"Right now?" she asked, trying to get a better grasp on the objects threatening to spill from her arms. "It's, er, not the greatest time, Al; I have to hand these all in before four or I won't get any credit…"

"It's about what happened this morning, Rosie," Albus said, offering his arms for a few of the books.

Rose looked at him sharply as she handed over one particularly large anthology. "Can we just _not_ talk about it, please?"

"You were upset enough to skip class; that's not like you," he said.

"I had my reasons, all right?" she replied.

"You were avoiding Scorpius, weren't you?"

"No!" Rose exclaimed. She cleared her throat. "…Maybe."

"You can't do that, Rosie, it wasn't his fault, he didn't do anything…" Albus began rambling.

"I keep telling myself that, Al, but it's crazy – I can barely remember anything that happened to me this morning before I came down to breakfast, and then all of a sudden, I was there, and I had just kissed him, my best friend, my… Scorpius. And I couldn't remember why, or how, and I was almost scared, and then I saw all of _them_, and they were laughing at me, and I just kind of lost it," she recounted breathlessly.

Albus gathered up his courage and fervently hoped for the best. "It was me, Rosie, it was my fault."

"What do mean, Al?" asked Rose. "What was your fault?"

"The reason why you acted the way you did. Or, part of the reason, anyway. Just don't kill me when you find out, that's all I ask." Albus' confession to Scorpius had been positively easy compared to this. He took the plunge before he could talk himself out of it. "I put a diluted form of a truth potion variant in your water before you came down to the Great Hall this morning. I _know_ it was an awful thing to do, I know! It affected you beyond how I could have imagined; I never intended for you to be on display for the rest of the school. I completely understand if this doesn't help, but you should know that I am so, so sorry."

Rose was chillingly silent. When she spoke, her sentence sounded fractured, each syllable ringing out with its own frightening, strained tone. "You… did… _what?_"

Albus backed away out of instinct. "I know it was stupid, but I was just trying to help!"

"_Help?_ And how exactly was this supposed to _help, _Albus?" said Rose, an awful, angry sarcasm lurking in her voice.

He took another unsteady step backward at the use of his full name. "Just let me try to explain, Rosie!" he said desperately. "Everyone knows the main problem with you and Scorpius is that you're both so deeply rooted in denial it's unbelievable. Not that you two don't realise that you… y'know… _like_ one another, because I and everyone as far as Hogsmeade know you do, but you both point-blank refuse to make the first move! It's ridiculous! I got tired of it! I figured I'd be doing you both a favour if I _forced_ you to confront your feelings for each other, see?"

Judging by the murderous expression on Rose's face, she did not see.

"You're going to curse me, aren't you?" asked Albus apprehensively, noticing that she was gripping her wand so tightly that her knuckles were turning white.

"No," said Rose through gritted teeth, "but you have _no_ idea how much I want to right now."

"I can imagine," he assured her.

"You had no right," she said, furious.

"I know."

"You shouldn't have meddled."

"I know."

"You acted despicably!"

"Completely!" Albus agreed. "But you have to forgive me, Rosie."

"Why do I have to?" Rose demanded.

"Because you're my cousin," he reminded her. "And because Scorpius isn't exactly thrilled with me, either, and I'm pretty sure he can hold a grudge longer than you can."

"Well, that's just perfect," she groaned. "So now he's so disturbed by me kissing him that he's mad at you for bringing it about? And you wonder why I can't bring myself to face him!"

"For heaven's sake, Rosie," said Albus, a familiar frustration welling up inside him. "He's not mad at me because you kissed him, he's mad at me because I slipped you a potion without your knowledge. You see what I'm talking about? You two always do this!"

"Do what?"

"You choose the most inconvenient moments for misunderstandings, both of you," he told her.

"I wouldn't push my luck if I were you," she warned.

"Rosie, he worships the ground you walk on and you're just too blind to see it."

Rose glared. "You don't even know what you're talking about, and by the way, I'm most certainly not blind."

"When it comes to Scorpius you are," Albus disagreed. "Blind, deaf, dumb, and a few other things. And him, he's even worse. Somehow he's missed the last few dozen times you've turned redder than your hair whenever he's at all friendly to another girl."

"I don't do that!" she protested.

"And now we've come to the most annoying part, as well as my main motivation for doing what I did," he said dryly. "How you both lie through your teeth whenever I bring this stuff up."

Rose retreated back to an earlier, safer point. "This is_ all _your fault."

"Yes, we've established that, Rosie," Albus said, exasperated. "But would you at least talk to him now that you know? Please?"

Rose's next words were not encouraging. "I can't. Not just yet."

"Why not?" Albus asked.

"'Why not?'" she repeated. "Maybe because he's going to think that I'm some crazy, jealous, lustful schizophrenic!"

"Really? Or is it because it's just easier to go back into denial-mode?" he said, taking a calculated guess. "You can't bring yourself to face him now you've revealed _any_ of your true feelings, can you? Even after that potion, you still…"

Giving him a withering glare, Rose said, "Would you be quiet? This is—"

"All my fault. I know," said Albus wearily. "I know."

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**Nine down, one to go. You can do this, Hanni! Go go go go go!**

**Hey, you know what? Now that I've finished with my self-motivation, I definitely wouldn't mind hearing some from you. Heehee.**

…**Really. :) ****Thanks a thousand times in advance.**


	10. That's All She Wrote

**This time, the pre-chapter A/N is short, but if you happen to have any lingering sentimentality for this story, feel free to check out the very ****long message that comes afterwards.**

**As always, I adore my reviewers. At the time that I'm writing this, I have 214 reviews. I am so flattered, so humbled, and so very, very touched. :')

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**

September showed all signs of bowing out with one last bout of miserable weather. The morning had seen a violent windstorm which turned into an early snowfall as the afternoon progressed, and then, with only a couple of centimetres of snow on the ground, turned to hail. By five o'clock it had been coming down relentlessly for quite some time, with no hint of an imminent conclusion.

And then, it stopped.

Scorpius, who had been watching the scene for hours from the common room's largest window, decided it was a sign. He set aside the book that had been lying unopened upon his lap, picked up his cloak, considered it for a moment, and then tossed it back upon the chair. He climbed through the portrait hole without a backwards glance.

Outside, it was bitterly and refreshingly cold. His shoes made a satisfying crunching sound against the fallen hail as he made his way down several steep hills, skidding down a few feet every here and there. Despite the overreaching feeling of gloominess that had been strangling him for nearly two days, he found himself enjoying the crisp solitude of the stroll. Though he now knew where he was going, he paused.

Some distance before him, at the lake's edge, stood Rose. He did not question this. Borrowing composure from some unknown source, he walked up to her, his shoes alerting her to his proximity well before he reached her. She was facing away from him, and her hair slipped over her shoulders as she turned her face to him. She caught his eye and looked away, but thankfully made no move to walk away.

Scorpius drew level with her. He stood silently at her side and contemplated her as she looked down at the ground, arms hugging her chest to keep warm – she, too, was jacketless.

"Hi," she said to a patch of grass beside her right foot.

"Hi," he replied warmly, inexplicably comforted by the sound of her voice.

They stood together for a few minutes, staring at the changing hues reflected on the surface of the lake as the sky began to darken in certain patches.

"Decided you're not going to ignore me forever, yet?" said Scorpius casually, breaking the silence between them.

Stricken, she tore her gaze from the ground and looked up at him for the first time. "No, I wasn't – I wasn't trying to ignore you, Scorpius!"

He shrugged and scuffed the grass with his toe. "You've been doing everything in your power to avoid me for the past thirty-four hours, Rose. It kind of seemed that way."

Rose let out a breath guiltily, perhaps due to the absence of her usual nickname, and hugged herself more closely. "Al caught up with me yesterday. He told me what happened, and…"

"And?"

"I guess… well, I need to apologise to you," she confessed. "I was so selfish at first, I kept thinking about how embarrassed I was, and I didn't consider for the longest time about how it couldn't have been too pleasant for you – I mean, you were there, too. It must have…" Again she trailed off, turning her head to hide her burning cheeks.

Scorpius gave a choked sort of laugh. "It was hardly unpleasant! At least until I realised that it wasn't you – the real you."

Rose glanced at him, thrown off track by his words. Seemingly wrestling with something, she began, "And… Al said—"

"That I've had feelings for you forever?" said Scorpius, cutting to the chase, though not unkindly. Sensing that she had been rendered speechless, he took her silence as an affirmative response. "I figured he would, sooner or later."

"Well?" she demanded, having apparently regained the power of speech.

He looked at her, surprised. "Well, what?"

"Is it true?" she asked, looking uncomfortable as she forced herself to say the words. "_Do_ you… have feelings for me?"

Amazed that she had any doubt, he replied, "Yes. Of course." Even as he said it he felt a great relief settle upon his shoulders.

Rose's eyes widened, but didn't dare permit herself to experience hope. "Then why on earth," she said slowly, "are you going out with Delilah Mackey?"

Scorpius blinked. "Once again… _what_?"

"_What_ what?" said Rose, exasperated. "You're going out with her, aren't you?"

"I'm _not_ going out with Delilah… who told you that?" he sputtered out.

"Clarisse did, a couple of weeks ago," she told him defensively. Looking much less certain now, she added, "You're really not? Honestly?"

"No!" Scorpius exclaimed. "I'm not sure if I even know her well enough to call her a friend."

Unable to fully accept what he was saying, Rose protested, "But you two were at Hogsmeade together! I saw you; you were sharing drinks!"

"Rosie, she sat down at my table and we talked for less than five minutes," said Scorpius. "If I remember correctly, it was you who was actually on a date with someone else."

Immediately she denied it. "No, I wasn't!"

"…Conrad Aryes?" he reminded her patiently.

"Conrad Aryes does not qualify as 'someone else'," she scoffed. "He is cat vomit reincarnated in human form."

Scorpius suddenly felt as if he was missing something. "Er, if you have such a low opinion of him, _why_ exactly were you on a date with him?"

"I _wasn't _on a date with him. I mean, I was with him that day, but it was most definitely not a date," said Rose, realising where the misunderstanding had come into play. "The jerk didn't really give me much of a choice. It was either spend an hour at Hogsmeade with him or have the possibility of being subjected to another visit from his tongue looming in an axe-like fashion over my head," she said, showing great distaste.

"_Another_ visit?" said Scorpius, looking slightly ill. "So Conrad was— is—"

"My not-so-secret, not-so-admirable secret admirer? Yeah," Rose confirmed. She raised an eyebrow. "You didn't know that?"

"No," he said, trying to overcome the shock. "I didn't. You never said anything; I'm positive."

"But Al knows. I would've thought he'd have told you."

"Al _knew_?"

"Well, yes," Rose told him. "As a matter of fact, that day we all met up at the owlery, he heard the entire conversation between Conrad and me. And then you showed up so soon afterwards – I remember thinking that you'd probably bumped into him on your way up."

Scorpius shook his head. Everything Rose was saying was news to him.

"Conrad," said Rose in disgust. "It'll be a dull day at Hogwarts before I go on a real date with _him_."

Scorpius looked in her eyes and couldn't hide a small smile. "You have no idea how much of a rel—" he began. He paused, and his blond eyebrows drew together as he looked past her head. He grimaced slightly and, with hesitation, said, "You know that expression… 'speak of the devil and he shall appear'?"

Rose stared at him. "Please tell me you're kidding." She didn't dare turn around.

"Unless Conrad's forgotten his homework here at the lake, it looks like he's heading right for us," reported Scorpius. A part of him wanted to be able to find some humour in the situation, but the chances of that were not favourable.

Rose closed her eyes and pushed her hair back with one hand. "How far away?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"Forty metres, give or take a few boulders," he estimated. "Ouch. He's not too well-coordinated, is he?"

She drew in a deep breath, and then her eyes shot open. Speaking quickly, she asked, "Are you willing to do me a favour?"

"Always."

"Kiss me."

"What?"

"Kiss me _right now_," Rose repeated, "and I'll forgive you for making me think I never had a chance. Not to mention for the emotional discomfort I suffered at the thought of you going out with one of my friends." She smiled brightly. "Deal?" Seeing Scorpius unable to speak, she added, "Well, as we don't exactly have much time for discussion right now, I'm going to take that for a 'yes'. So."

Before Scorpius even had the time to process it, she had flung her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly, continuing her pretence of being oblivious to anything but him.

"Hey, ROSIE!"

Though she had been anticipating it, Conrad's voice was as cringe-inducing as ever. She broke away from Scorpius and turned her head. "Conrad," she greeted him, her voice on the fence between curtness and politeness.

"What are you doing with _him_?" Conrad demanded, shooting a healthy glare towards Scorpius.

"Conrad, I'm sure I've told you I had a boyfriend," said Rose innocently. "Many times, in fact."

Appearing to be less than appeased, Conrad retorted, "You also said you were suffering from spattergroit. You're just a bloody liar, Rose Weasley."

Beside Rose, Scorpius tensed suddenly. She, however, remained perfectly calm.

"Could be," she told Conrad coolly, "but then again, maybe you would have been better off listening to me the first dozen or so times."

"Oh, please," Conrad sneered. "Everyone knows you aren't going out with anyone."

Rose raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure we couldn't convince you?" she said, pulling Scorpius' face down again.

Swearing under his breath, Conrad stalked off, enraged and disgusted, the prospect of witnessing another kiss apparently to much for him to handle. Both Rose and Scorpius watched his retreating figure without regret.

"Prat," was Scorpius' sole observation.

"You'll receive no argument from me," Rose replied pleasantly.

Scorpius stole a sidelong glance at her. "You mentioned something about forgiveness?"

She smiled, eyes playful. "Well. Pi needs a father figure in his life, don't you think? And I suppose it wasn't entirely your fault I never realised, as I never said anything either."

"And still haven't, really," he remarked, hoping she'd take the hint.

"I liked you," she said reproachfully, taking his hand. "And you never noticed."

"There was nothing_ to_ notice," Scorpius told her gravely.

"Are you kidding me?" Rose laughed. "James leaves us alone whenever he sees us together. Al is so blatantly obvious about the whole thing that I once cursed his mouth shut for a whole day. Even my mum has been dropping embarrassing hints left, right and centre."

"But you, Rosie," Scorpius said. "You never gave me any sign that you liked me as more than a friend."

"That's because I'm an idiot," said Rose earnestly. "A proud, confused idiot who now regrets it very much. Forgive me?" She squeezed his hand.

Scorpius' face was illuminated by a tender smile. "You never have to ask." For once letting his feelings do the talking, he leant down and kissed her on the forehead.

For her part, Rose snuggled closely against him.

"Do you want to go back in?" he asked her after a moment, noting, from a distance, the plummeting temperature of the air.

"Why?" she asked, lifting her head. "Are you cold?"

"No," he responded in surprise. "I thought you might be."

Rose shook her head. "No. I could stay out here for a while." Without warning, she began giggling.

"What is it?" Scorpius asked softly.

"Nothing," she said, grinning. "It's just – if my granddad could only see me now!"

_The end.

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_

**Well… t****his is hard. I don't want this to be the last time I get to have my little one-way conversations with you guys!**

**A few last thoughts:**

**#3. I'll bet you all thought I'd forgotten Pi. Did I prove you wrong? I love that little bundle of fluff. **

**#2. I may not be JKR, but I am so freaking happy I finished this story. I've never done this before, and I am notoriously bad when it comes to sticking with things. So you know who I owe the finishing of the story to? You guys, one hundred percent. **

**#1. So many things have happened since I began this story. We found that Neville married Hannah and that Luna married Rolf; that Dumbledore was gay; that even 'Scorpius' begins to sound like a normal name after five months. Isn't it amazing how things have changed?**

**As we part, I want to tell you guys one more thing: let's keep the Scorpius/Rose love alive! Maybe we were Draco/Hermione shippers and maybe we weren't (I personally wasn't), but we have started the New Ship, forever may it thrive. :D**

**Goodb****ye, everyone! Look me up every now and then if you have time, okay?**

**Love, Hanneli. **

**xox**


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